Disrupting
an
Industry
of
Simplification
with
Advanced
Technologies,
Oro
Commerce.

Motti Danino is no stranger to the demands of running a successful B2B eCommerce business.

He was a former member of the Magento team, where he helped to launch and lead the Magento eCommerce cloud business unit. A SaaS B2B eCommerce platform, it aimed to help small and medium-sized businesses fill their online store software needs in new and innovative ways.

But at the beginning of December 2014, Danino became the Vice President of Operations at OroCommerce, one of the leading B2B eCommerce platforms online today. With unique features like Corporate Account Management, which allows sellers to set and manage hierarchal management structures within their eCommerce store, advanced access controls, and more, they're proving that there is a demand for advanced control options for eCommerce for smaller businesses.

Danino has since become the COO of Oro, Inc. We checked in with him to get his take on the challenges and demands of B2B eCommerce platforms.

You've worked with two major competitors in the B2B eCommerce market. Was there a specific moment that you can remember where you realized, “Current eCommerce is not meeting the needs of B2B?” If so, what was it that triggered that thought?

It happened while I was at Magento. Companies were approaching us with B2B commerce needs that we were not able to deliver.

What do you believe is the number one thing that is overlooked that could be robbing businesses of more online sales and why do you think that is?

These websites just to do not fit the B2B needs. Many capabilities are usually missing or sometimes those websites just are not complete.

When businesses are looking to move their business online, what should their main focuses be on? What hurdles should they anticipate?

They need to focus on how their customers want to do business with them. How they want to make purchases, what are the processes they need to follow to do so, and how can they automate their operations. Also, for the merchant, the application truly needs to support the digital transformation that they are envisioning.

Oro eCommerce is already working to offer strategies that many B2B eCommerce platforms lack. Where do you see the future of B2B eCommerce and how are you planning to continue to move with those changes?

I see a wave of B2B business adopting technologies. And its just going to continue to grow like that. We need to make sure that our products and ecosystems are ready to serve the unique needs of B2B commerce as it does grow.

This growth is being spurred by something. What trend is it that you feel is disrupting B2B Commerce as a whole?

The buyers are changing. They are younger. They're familiar with the internet. And they are demanding a user experience like they find with B2C business. This will drive huge waves for change fueled by the need for technology adoption.

What bottlenecks do you commonly see in your processes and in other B2B eCommerce processes, and how have you used technology to move past them to increase productivity and capacity?

Our biggest challenge, like in many other companies, is to try to find the right talent. I do not believe in agencies - they can't help your business find the right people for you and for the job. You need to find them on your own.

What are the toughest challenges you have seen starting the company? How did you overcome them?

There are many, many challenges. Each phase of a startup has its own set of unique challenges. From making sure you have the right idea, to execution, building a team, etc.

To overcome them, you need to believe in what you do, be ready to listen to Good and bad feedback, and test, learn, an optimize constantly.

Oro, Inc.'s cutting-edge platform technologies and their success in the industry are definitely a testament to what can come from working to overcome challenges, listening to feedback from customers, and staying open to changing the way that things are done. In an age when many eCommerce platforms are becoming simpler and more streamlined for sellers, Oro, Inc. is offering more technology that allows sellers to better customize not just the appearance of their eCommerce stores, but also the hierarchy behind how they are run. They are proof that disrupting the B2B industry can pay off.

OroCommerce

OroCommerce (https://oroinc.com/orocommerce/) is the only open-source eCommerce platform built from the ground up for B2B businesses. OroCommerce focuses on perfecting all the B2B-specific features and tools, including support for multiple price lists, customizable quote to order process, quick order forms, multi-business support, and corporate customer account management. Besides, the platform integrates easily with existing business applications, such as ERP, CRM, and product information tools, while offering an intuitive, user-friendly front end for buyers.